Being the son of a veteran, and a veteran myself, I have come to understand that upon reflection, serving in the military gives one a unique American perspective. Not only have I been exposed to cultures around the world and how different their values may be, but in the end, veterans are generally more engaged in this grand experiment we call “America.” Not to mention the unique bond we all share as “veterans.”
Col. Gail Halvorsen, otherwise known as the "Berlin Candy Bomber."
Richard Timberlake was a B-17 co-pilot when he was twice wounded over Germany. The second time required hospitalization until the war ended. He earned a doctorate in Economics after the war.
B-17 radio operator Ambers Hanson.
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Florence Elion Mascot.
The last surviving member of the famous WWII "Carpetbaggers," Lt. Col. Orrin Brown, Jr.
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Elizabeth "Betty" Strohfus
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Marty Wyall
Frank Losonsky was an aircraft mechanic and the last surviving member of the original "Flying Tigers" that served in China from December 1941 to July 1942.
P-51 Mustang pilot and D-Day veteran Bob "Punchy" Powell
Milka Bamond, an original "Rosie the Riveter."
Richard Sadler was a British combat engineer who stormed the D-Day beaches. Three soldiers were trained for the same job, just in case the other two "didn't make it."
Willie C. Leach was an F-86 jet fighter pilot during the Korean War.
P-51 pilot Hess Bomberger II.
William Henry Hughey was a B-17 ball turret gunner and founding member of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Pooler, Georgia.
Bernice "Bee" Haydu kindly held the Women Airforce Service Pilot's Congressional Gold Medal for a photograph.
Navy Commander Robert Maxwell was an ace fighter pilot in the Pacific and served in the same unit as future President George Bush Sr.
Albert McMahan was a B-17 mechanic in England when he volunteered to be a tail gunner. Almost killed on his first mission, he survived to complete 25 missions.
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Millicent Young.
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Shirley Kruse
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Shutsy Reynolds
Women Airforce Service Pilot (WASP) Shutsy Reynolds
Heather Penny was one of two pilots flying unarmed F-16 fighter jets that responded to the alarm on September 11, 2001. She was prepared to ram any attacking aircraft in the Washington D.C. area to bring it down.
Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Bob Friend
Mr. Oscar Lawton Wilkerson, an original Tuskegee Airman. He passed away on 8 Feb. 2023, one day shy of his 97th birthday.
Brigadier General Charles McGee, Tuskegee Airman.
Ray Williams holds his Tuskegee Airmen Congressional Gold Medal.
Tuskegee Airmen. L to R are LTC. Harry T. Stewart, Mr. Oscar Lawton Wilkerson, LTC. Robert Friend, Dr. HIllard Pouncy, BG. Charles McGee, and LTC. Harold Brown.
Dutch Van Kirk was the navigator on the Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War Two.
B-24 waist gunner Frank Perry. Created for American Airlines.
Coxswain Clarence Holland, Pacific Theater, WWII. Created for American Airlines.
Coxswain Clarence Holland, Pacific Theater, WWII, with a photo of his girlfriend in Hawaii.
Commander Leroy Robinson was a Navy ace in the Pacific theater, and after the war flew for 30 years with Delta Airlines.
Ray Bell, a P-38 fighter pilot in WWII. Shown wearing his original "pinks and greens" uniform.
Julian Scott trained as a Navy Corsair pilot in WWII, and was photographed at Atlanta's Dekalb Peachtree Airport, with a Corsair in the background.
Three female US Air Force brigadier generals, photographed with five minutes notice at the 2012 Women in Aviation International conference in Dallas, Texas.
Ed Bernard was aboard one of the US Navy ships that fired rockets onto the beach during the D-Day invasion on 6 June, 1944.